Gypsy Hotel Records [Release date 20.05.13]

Even the most riotous and irreverent of bands sometimes need a break. And ‘Rare Gumbo’ is compilation album that gathers together The Urban Voodoo Machine’s bits and pieces in the form of EP tracks, B-sides, limited release tracks and a brace of bonus BBC sessions, to fill the gap before their next recording.

You can imagine this 11 piece ensemble being a challenging night out. Main man and vocalist Paul-Ronney Angel is a restless Norwegian musical spirit who moved to London in the early 90’s and once plied his trade with high-energy band The Godfathers.

The Urban Voodoo Machine is a multi-instrumental,  fluid band who play everything from gypsy stomps to murder ballads and rock & roll with growled lyrics set to whip crack rhythms.

The big band line-up includes guitar, fiddle, washboard, accordion, horns and all manner of percussion, all topped by Paul-Ronney Angel’s rusty bucket growl.

Paul sees the band’s musical lineage as stretching from the early Stones to The Clash and The Pogues. He also helpfully calls the music ‘Bourbon Gypsy Blues Bop ‘n’ Stroll’, as the 20 plus tracks rarely settle in any one direction. There are plenty of pulsating rhythms, an occasional big screen vista and its adventurous music, played with an occasional sense of  the ridiculous.

Things start promisingly on the gypsy violin, guitar tremolo led, stomping instrumental ‘Last Dance Of The Silver Wolf’, before they slip into the percussive rockabilly of ‘Getting Hot Going Down’ which owes a lot to The Jim Jones Revue (unsurprisingly, Jones was a former band member).

The band ride rough-shod over a bewildering variety of styles, from the Tom Waits growl and spaghetti western feel of ‘The Death Of Celestina Rose’ and the self explanatory, rockabilly tinged ‘You Got Me (By the Balls)’, to the bluesy garage rock of ‘Killer Sound’ and the tribal drums and a snaking synth line on ‘Recipe for Disaster’.

And just when you think they’ve revealed their full hand, they pop up with the very dark ballad ‘Orphan’s Lament’. The surprising late night feel and evocative narrative of ‘Alone In The City’ also suggests there’s more to their musical palate than just a high-energy dance with the devil.

Paul further vents his spleen on the rather obvious ‘Devil On A String’ and ‘Love Song 666’.  He’s equally gruff on the big wall of sound of ‘Here Comes The Thunder’, and he adds a Beefheart vocal as the band search out plenty of swing and a sing-along chorus on ‘Plenty More Room’, before an imaginatively reworking of AC/DC’s ‘Hell’s Bells’ with their own bluesy voodoo.

‘Rare Gumbo’ lives up to its name. The songs and arrangements are as unique as they are bawdy, uncompromising and rough at the edges, but they also glisten like a jewel in the dirt. If you like sleazy, noirish late night cabaret shot through with a rock & roll heart then this might just be for you. *** (3/5)

Review by Pete Feenstra

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Latest session: Sunday 25 February
Next session: Sunday 14 April

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 March 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 19 March 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

NESTOR Victorious (Napalm)
CADET CARTER Strangers (SBAM Records)
ARENA What’s Your Damage (indie)
ONLAP Never Too Late (AFM Records)
BLACK SONIC PEARLS Black Butterfly (indie)
RENDEZVOUS POINT Don’t Look Up (Long Branch Records)
WILDSTREET Come Down (Golden Robot Records)

Featured Albums w/c 1 April 2024

09:00-12:00 CIRCLE OF FRIENDS Cherokee Moon (Escape Music)
12:00-13:00 MYRATH Karma (earMUSIC)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023

To see our Tweets you need to be logged in to a Twitter account

Tweets by Get Ready to ROCK!

Popular (last 10 days)

Album review: 25 YARD SCREAMER – The Memory Cheats (The Pictures Within 2023)

Album review: D’ERCOLE – Near Death Experience

EP review: ROOM11 – We All Fall Down

Book review: On track…THE POLICE – Every Album, Every Song by Peter Braidis

Album review: BALANCE OF POWER – Fresh From The Abyss

PDF - you can delete unwanted sections